The answer to all your recent posts on 'what size container for...' is the same. Get an EarthBox and follow their planting instructions. It will make your life much easier than wondering about every single plant.

They normally do not mind the 20s for extended periods but I prepare them by watering deeply on the night before the cold (cold = 32F or less) fronts arrive and by making sure the y are well mulched with 2-4" of organic mulch to or past the drip line. One set is on the north of the house and the other on the south side (protected by the house from northern winds and protected from the sun). We got down to low-mid teens this winter twice and had no issues other than some flower buds that browned out in the japonicas. No bud drop as a result of the cold so I am happy. They basically stop blooming (if they are blooming) or delay blooming for later. The first time that we dropped to the teens last year, the sasanquas were finishing their blooming so they stopped blooming and restarted blooming with a handful of flower buds two weeks ago. The second time that we dropped to the teens in January, the mid-season blooming japonicas were not blooming yet so the japonicas delayed blooming & started blooming about two weeks ago. Then a late blooming japonica began to bloom last week; not sure if it cared about the cold as it normally blooms late. Flower buds for me can hold on to the mid teens if I water deeply the night before the cold arrives. The plants should be able to carry on even much colder temps. I am in the DFW Metroplex. Hurst is almost touching the western side of the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport in north-central Texas. Sasanquas and japonicas in the Hill Country and here require amending the soil to acidify it. I amend with garden Sulfur, greensand, iron-chelated liquid compounds, etc in Spring and sometimes again in the Fall if I notice signs of iron chlorosis. The Piney Woods Region is the only location where the soil is typically acidic enough so as not to require amending this way. Areas where you have caliche soil would present the biggest problem to either camellia as the fibrous roots in the top few inches would have difficulty penetrating the soil. Sasanqua leaves suffer less from summer sun than japonicas do here. There is a shopping center that has them growing in full sun at all times of the year and they do fine even thru our daily 100s in the summer. But they will require that their soil be moist as evenly possible (not periods of dry soil, followed by wet and dry soil again). I keep them well mulched and I water deeply so as not to have to worry much about it. If unsure about whether they need water, I insert a finger to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. Start with 1 gallon of water per watering for a new shrub of the size typically sold locally (2' tall or something like that?) and tweak that as needed. More or more often in the summer & early Fall; less often in winter. But plan to water thru winter as well since dry years may cause the semi-dormant camellias to need water. I almost lost one camellia when I shut off the sprinkler system at the start of a big cold spell and then forgot to restart it after the cold left us a week later. As for planting location, I give them summer sun until about 10am-11am. Dappled sun is also ok. So is bright full-time shade. I have a single japonica that gets sun from 11am-1pm and some (very few) of the leaves get sunburn but usually just a handful... 5 or less say. It is getting big so I cut the leaves off if they look ugly. I am considering putting shade cloth in that area though because of other shrubbery that is more sun sensitive than the camellia. Regarding wind in a planting location, I would choose a location with less winds (or something that blocks wind somehow): light summer winds help dry out the soils and require more watering $$$. ;o) I had a japonica in a location that was subject to wind and it required hand watering in the summer, something that is not fun when it is hot outside. Does that help, jaceymae? Luis

There are quite a few people here who have GE growing in their gardens. I bought two 3 years ago and have those two still growing nicely, must be my soil, light or whatever. I just bought two more cheaply. Here is some advice given by forum member 'dhaven' : "Some varieties are very picky about growing conditions, and unless they are planted in optimum conditions, they will either remain small, or fade away and die. The best example of this I know of is Great Expectations, which also happens to be my favorite hosta. A great many people have lost this one, sometimes more than once. I have three very large mature plants, and they are the prettiest thing in the garden. It took some experimentation, but there are three things that GE absolutely must have to thrive. First, and most importantly, plant it shallowly. It's going to be a very large plant, so the natural inclination is to plant it deeply, but this will kill it faster than anything else. Plant it so shallowly you are convinced that it will tip over, and you've got it right. Secondly, it likes a lot of light. Dappled shade is ideal, but it will take several hours of direct sun, either morning or afternoon. Third, it likes a lot of water. If you give a GE all three of these things, you will increase your chances of growing it into an absolutely stunning plant. If you want to try any of the hostas that have the reputation of being difficult, be prepared to try different locations and growing methods, and possibly go through several plants before you discover what works for that variety in your location. When you do find out what works, please share the information with the rest of us!" Bernd

Yeah I see several possible explanations. One, you don't mention the type or variety of the plants so you may well be pruning off production with your "pruning suckers". Only indeterminate varieties tolerate pruning and even then some production is lost. That's why many container growers advocate no pruning unless it is absolutely required for some reason. Two you don't mention the brand name of the potting mix you use and that is crucial in container growing. No potting soil, no 'soil' of any kind works well in a container as it compacts. Three, daily watering, depending on climate/weather and the mix used, is very seldom needed in a 10 gallon container and only leads to root rot. Container growers have to learn to monitor the moisture content in their pots and water only when the plant needs it, not on some artificial schedule. And four, like Peter said, organic granular fertilizers seldom work in containers because there is no beneficial micro-herd in container soil to digest them so the plants can use them. All these points are discussed in greater detail over on both the Growing Tomatoes forum here and the Container Gardening forum as well. Dave